The invention relates to the field of mechanisms for loading and unloading disk-shaped record carriers in decks of information recording or reproducing equipment.
The invention relates to a loading mechanism for an apparatus for recording and/or reproducing information on/from an information disc, which mechanism includes guides for the disc edge. The guides include a supporting guide constructed as a support for the disc edge pressed against it and a loading guide constructed as a rotationally drivable transport wheel which rolls the information disc into and out of the apparatus for the purpose of loading and unloading, respectively. The supporting guide and the loading guide guide the information disc along a loading path.
Such a device is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,040. The information disc is introduced into the apparatus through a slot. In the apparatus the information disc is guided at one side by a rigid curved and grooved guide member as a supporting guide and at the other side it is guided by a grooved rubber roller as a loading guide. The rubber roller can be driven by a motor. To introduce the information disc into the apparatus it is manually inserted into the slot of the apparatus and brought into engagement with the grooves of the supporting guide and the loading guide. Subsequently, the motor is started either by means of a manually actuated switch or by means of a detection member, which detects the information disc engaging the groove of the supporting guide and the groove of the loading guide. The rubber roller of the loading guide is motor driven during the loading process and rolls the information disc between itself and the supporting guide along a curved loading path in the apparatus.
However, a construction of this kind has several disadvantages. Owing to the use of the curved supporting guide, the information disc can be introduced into the apparatus only along a curved loading path, insertion along a straight path, however, being impossible. As compared with straight-line insertion of the information disc it requires a larger width of the loading mechanism and hence of the apparatus. Particularly for automotive uses this is a considerable drawback, because the room available for mounting of the apparatus is then limited.
The round information discs have a central positioning hole. In order to treat the disc surface with care, it is advantageous if a user touches the information disc only at the edge of the positioning hole and at the periphery of the information disc. In the known arrangement the center of the information disc must be inserted by hand up to at least the location of the center of the rubber roller of the loading guide into the position referred to below as the intermediate position, before the loading mechanism automatically takes over the insertion of the information disc. In this intermediate position the positioning hole is no longer situated outside the housing front and the user cannot hold the information disc in the desired manner at the edge of the positioning hole and at the periphery of the information disc. As a result, the user is forced to touch the information-disc surface in order to bring the information disc into the intermediate position. This results in increased wear of the information discs. The above citation is hereby incorporated in whole by reference.
It is an object of the invention to provide a loading mechanism of the type defined in the opening paragraph, which has minimal dimensions and which enables the information disc to be loaded and unloaded without the surface of said disc being touched.
According to the invention this object is achieved in that the supporting guide and the loading guide are supported so as to be movable in a loading plane.
The movability of the supporting guide and the loading guide allows these guides to move in accordance with the outline of the information disc and thus guide the disc edge of the information disc in a flexible manner. This enables the information disc to be loaded along substantially arbitrarily definable loading paths. Information discs not having a circular disc edge (for example having oval or other disc edges) can also be rolled into the apparatus by means of such a loading mechanism. A variety of constructions can be envisaged in order to obtain the movability of the supporting guide and the loading guide. For example, the supporting guide and the loading guide can be guided in grooves and can be urged against the disc edge in these grooves by spring force or by means of actuators.
The guides engage with the information disc at its edges only, whereas these guides remain clear of the signal-storage surface of the information disc. This precludes possible damage to the signal-storage surface.
In the intermediate position, into which the information disc is inserted by the user and from which the information disc is automatically rolled inward by the loading mechanism, the positioning hole of the information disc is situated outside the housing front. As a result of this, the user can bring the information disc by hand into the intermediate position in such a way that the hand of the user only touches said disc at the inner edge of the positioning hole of the information disc and at the periphery of the information disc. This precludes damage to the surface of the information disc by contact with the hand of the user. It is also possible to remove the information disc in the same way from the apparatus in an eject position. In the eject position the supporting guide and the loading guide also engage with the disc edge of the information disc and the information disc is held in a stable manner by the supporting guide and the loading guide, so as to prevent the information disc from inadvertendy rolling out of the apparatus. The loading mechanism can be constructed in such a manner that the information disc projects from the front of the housing over approximately 85% of its diameter.
A further advantageous embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the supporting guide and the loading guide are carried by pivotal arms which are supported at one end.
This is a particularly advantageous and low cost possibility of realizing the movability of the supporting guide and the loading guide. By arranging the guides on pivotal arms these guides can be pivoted in accordance with the outline of the information disc.
A further advantageous embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the supporting guide and the loading guide guide the information disc along a substantially rectilinear loading path during loading and unloading.
As a result of the straight-line insertion movement of the information disc the width required for the loading mechanism is essentially determined by the diameter of the information disc and the housing of the loading mechanism can be made correspondingly small. Particularly for automotive uses this is a great advantage, because the room available for mounting of the apparatus is then limited.
A further advantageous embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the two pivotal arms are each pretensioned towards the center of the loading plane.
The supporting guide and the loading guide arranged on the pivotal arms are urged against the disc edge by the pretension of the pivotal arms and can thus guide the disc edge in a flexible manner during loading and unloading of the information disc.
A further advantageous embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the pivotal arms are coupled to one another.
A further advantageous embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the two pivotal arms are coupled by means of a tension spring acting between the two pivotal arms.
A tension spring is a constructionally simple possibility of urging the ends of the pivotal arms towards one another.
A further advantageous embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the pivotal arms are coupled by a coupling rod, and at least one of the pivotal arms is retensioned towards the center of the loading plane.
The supporting guide and the loading guide arranged on the pivotal arms are urged against the disc edge by the pretension of at least one of the pivotal arms. The pivotal arm which is pretensioned towards a central point of the mechanism in the loading plane acts upon the non-pretensioned pivotal arm by means of the coupling rod, in such a manner that the latter is also subject to a force towards the center of the loading plane. Obviously, it is also possible to pretension both pivotal arms towards the center of the loading plane.
A further advantageous embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the coupling rod has at least two longitudinal grooves which are each engaged by a pivotal-arm pin mounted on the pivotal arm, and the coupling rod has at least one coupling-rod pin which engages a housing-cover groove which extends in a housing cover in the direction of the rectilinear loading path.
This construction ensures that the coupling rod moves along the straight-line loading path. As a result, the two pivotal arms are pivoted symmetrically and the supporting guide and the loading guide guide the information disc along the straight-line loading path during loading and unloading.
A further advantageous embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the supporting guide takes the form of a rotationally drivable transport wheel.
The rotatable construction of the supporting guide makes it possible to insert and remove the information disc into/from the apparatus without the information disc itself being rotated. If the transport wheel of the supporting guide and the transport wheel of the loading guide are grooved, the information disc will be moved into and out of the apparatus without rotation of the disc itself if the groove diameter of the transport wheel of the supporting guide and the transport wheel of the loading guide is the same and the transport wheel of the supporting guide and the transport wheel of the loading guide rotate with the same speed in opposite directions of rotation.
A further advantageous embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the transport wheel has a groove in which the disc edge of the information disc is engageable.
A further advantageous embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the supporting guide has a groove in which the disc edge of the information disc is engageable.
A groove is a particularly simple possibility of guiding the disc edge.
A further advantageous embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the transport wheel comprises a supporting surface adapted to support one side of the disc edge of the information disc, the transport wheel has a contact edge against which the edge of the information disc can be pressed, and there has been provided a pressure element adapted to be pressed against the other side of the disc edge of the information disc.
Such a construction enables a large holding force in a direction perpendicular to the loading plane to be applied to the disc surface at the location of the disc edge of the information disc. This is particularly important in an eject position, in which the information disc projects farthest from the housing and the information disc must be held only by means of the supporting guide and the loading guide to allow it to be removed by the user.
A further advantageous embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the supporting guide comprises a supporting surface adapted to support one side of the disc edge of the information disc, the supporting guide has a contact edge against which the edge of the information disc can be pressed, and there has been provided a pressure element adapted to be pressed against the other side of the disc edge of the information disc.
A further advantageous embodiment of the invention is characterized in that there has been provided an auxiliary guide which enables the disc edge of the information disc to be additionally guided in an intermediate stage of the loading process.
The auxiliary guide prevents the information disc from being tilted relative to the loading plane. The auxiliary guide is no longer operative in a final stage of the loading operation, so that the information disc can be lowered onto a turntable.
The loading mechanism is preferably used in a deck, in an apparatus for recording and/or reproducing of information on/from an information disc by means of a deck, and in a car radio comprising a deck.